St. Xavier picked up a hard-fought 50–47 win over La Salle on Friday night in a tightly contested matchup that came down to the final minutes.

The Bombers led 11–8 after the first quarter and took a 25–17 advantage into halftime behind balanced scoring and strong defensive pressure. La Salle responded with a strong third quarter, outscoring St. Xavier 17–13 to cut the margin to four heading into the final period, but the Bombers held their composure late to secure the three-point victory.

Liam McGeady led St. Xavier with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, adding two assists and a steal. Jack Ryan provided an all-around effort with 11 points, four assists, three rebounds, two steals, and a block, while Charlie Gruber chipped in eight points.

The Bombers' bench also made key contributions, with Aiden Graham scoring six points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting and John Veith adding six points, four rebounds, and three assists.

La Salle was paced by Ricky Robertson's game-high 19 points, along with eight points from CJ Davis and 12 from Shamari Scales, who also pulled down eight rebounds.

St. Xavier shot 51.3% from the field for the game and finished with 13 assists on 20 made baskets, helping overcome struggles at the free-throw line. La Salle shot 50.0% overall and a perfect 6-for-6 at the stripe but couldn't close the gap late.

The Bombers' defense forced 12 turnovers and came up with timely stops down the stretch to seal the victory.